A delivery system generally refers to a system that aids or otherwise facilitates the delivery of a functional material to a desired location. The functional material can be any material that acts upon a substrate or otherwise provides a benefit once delivered to the desired location. Examples of functional materials that may benefit from the use of a delivery system include pharmaceuticals that are intended to be ingested or subcutaneously injected into a patient, fragrances, vitamins and nutrients, and various other and numerous additives.
In one particular application, for instance, the functional material can be a dye that is intended to be printed or otherwise applied to a substrate. In the past, various delivery systems for dyes have been proposed that are intended to facilitate application of the dye to a substrate, such as a textile material. The delivery systems, for instance, are intended to affix the dye to a substrate, prevent the dye from fading when exposed to sunlight, to prevent the dye from degrading when exposed to the environment, to facilitate application of the dye to the substrate, or, for example, to render the dye more stable.
Even in view of recent advances in the art, further improvements in delivery systems for functional materials are still needed. For example, a need currently exists for a delivery system that can bind to various functional materials that does not incorporate relatively expensive chemical formulations or that does not require any complex process steps for incorporating a functional material into the delivery system. With respect to dyes, a need also exists in the art for a delivery system for a dye that is capable of affixing the dye to negatively charged surfaces. For example, a need currently exists for a delivery system for dyes that is capable of affixing the dyes to textile materials containing natural or synthetic polymeric fibers that have a negative surface charge.